The Liverpool manager’s side were taken apart in two mad minutes as Zenit were gifted a crucial two-goal lead, thanks largely to striker Hulk.

Yet the Anfield club spurned so many chances – Luis Suarez alone fluffed his lines four times – that Rodgers predicted the tie will still be up for grabs in next Thursday's return leg.

He said: “It’s not over by any means. If we can get the next goal back then we can really put them under pressure with our fans behind us and what gives us great hope is that we created loads of chances.

“We have a chance in the second leg. The next goal is hugely important, if we can get that then we can create great momentum. We know it is retrievable and we believe we still have a fighting chance.

“What is most disappointing is that, apart from those two goals, it is was almost the perfect European performance – but I think that is all part of our growing pains.

“It is something where in six or 12 months’ time we won’t be making those mistakes but at the moment that’s where we’re at.”

Opportunities knocked: Suarez could have had a hat-trick against Zenit (Image: John Powell)

And Rodgers thanked the Russian club and their fans for the atmosphere in which the Europa League tie was conducted.

But he was not so happy with his own team after they failed to spark in front of goal then compounded their generosity with some shocking defending that gifted the home side an important lead.

Rodgers added: “We really felt we were in a position to win the game, because we created chances in the first half and controlled the game in the second, but instead we’re sitting here wondering how we lost.

“We’ve lost two poor goals, basically. The first was a good strike, but we were poor in the build-up, and the second was really poor too.

"So we’ve lost the game when really we should have won it and that’s disappointing.”